Wisdom, Wit, and Pathos of Ouida

by Ouida

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Pages: 327

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About this book

Roman fountains, sea air, village life and the consolations of art fill the opening selections in this collection of Ouida's prose. Compiled by F. Sydney Morris and published in 1884, it gathers passages from works including Ariadne, A Dog of Flanders, Signa and Under Two Flags. The pieces range from descriptions of places to brief reflections on sympathy, youth, ambition and the habits of society.

These extracts offer a way to read Ouida through individual scenes and observations. In one exchange, a boy longs to hear great music in Florence, while Palma assures him that people around him already care for his playing. Elsewhere, reflections on travel weigh the appeal of distant places against attachment to familiar fields. Readers interested in nineteenth-century prose can compare the rich landscape descriptions with the sharper comments on pride, disappointment and human kindness.

About the author

Ouida

Maria Louise Ramé, going by the name Marie Louise de la Ramée and known by the pseudonym Ouida, was an English novelist. Ouida wrote more than 40 novels, as well as short stories, children's books and essays. Moderately successful, she lived a life of luxury, entertaining many of the literary figures of the day.